Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program

Monday, June 4, 2018 through Friday, August 10, 2018

The State University of New York Upstate Medical University in collaboration with SUNY ESF is offering fellowships for its 2018 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Program. The aim of the SURF program is to nurture undergraduate students into careers that combine biomedical research into their chosen profession, providing them an understanding of research across disciplines and fields. In an intensive ten-week summer program, undergraduates with appropriate faculty guidance will formulate their own proposal, carry out research under the supervision of one of our faculty, write a research paper and have the potential to see their work published. In the process, students will attend research seminars, present and participate in a student journal club, present their work, and participate in discussions on careers in research and how to apply to graduate, medical, nursing or other health professions schools. Students are given ample opportunities to interact directly with many of our faculty and students. This is a newly enlarged program that will offer students the opportunity to perform research from a wide variety of perspectives (basic science, medicine, nursing, environmental health, and physical therapy).

The program runs from Monday, June 4, 2018 through Friday, August 10, 2018.

Each fellow will be provided a $3,500 stipend for the period plus housing.

Applicants to the program should be undergraduate students in good academic standing, who will be between their junior and senior years during the summer of 2018. Applicants must have a strong interest in pursuing post undergraduate studies in fields offered at SUNY Upstate or SUNY ESF.

The main criteria for the selection of fellows will be personal scholarship, academic excellence, and the match of applicant interests with those of participating Upstate and ESF faculty members. International students who currently have a J-1 or F-1 visa, and who are already attending school in the United States, are eligible to apply.

Depending on a student’s research interests they are paired with faculty in one of the 5 colleges (Graduate Studies, Nursing, Medicine, Health Professions or SUNY ESF) to learn more about those professions and to perform cutting edge research. All students will interact throughout the 10 weeks allowing them to see research from many different facets by participating in inter-professional education events.

Students should be specifically interested in pursuing a PhD, MS, MD, MD/PhD, DNP, DPT, MPH, or PA. In addition, students from SUNY institutions or underrepresented minorities are especially encouraged to apply.

SURF Physician-Scientist Program (SURF PS) The SUNY Upstate Medical University SURF Physician-Scientist Program (SURF PS) is a special pathway and admissions option for the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF). This initiative is aimed at exposing undergraduates, specifically students from backgrounds under-represented in science and healthcare, to the career path of a physician-scientist.

Prospective fellows will apply alongside traditional SURF students. Accepted fellows will be exposed to basic and translational science alongside both a PI and a current MD/PhD student mentor that is in the PhD portion of training. Fellows will have the opportunity to fulfill clinical curiosity in weekly rounds with an MD/PhD clinical faculty. The remaining requirements and events are the same as their fellow SURF peers.

Application

Application is closed for SUMMER 2018 Program. We will begin accepting applications for SUMMER 2019 in October 2018. Please re-visit our website then.

HOW TO APPLY:

Complete the SURF online application, including a personal statement of your academic goals and career objectives.

Submit an official transcript of your undergraduate study to date.

Have two letters of recommendation submitted to the SURF Program. The letters of recommendation may be requested from professors related to your major, an advisor, and/or department chair. [Letters of recommendation can be mailed, or emailed, by your recommender to the program.]

Timothy Damron, MD: Musculoskeletal oncology diagnosis, treatment, and complications with special focus on prediction of impending pathologic fractures and mechanisms of bone fragility following radiotherapy.

Nienke P. Dosa, MD, MPH: Work with an interdisciplinary team of clinicians, designers, and engineers to develop low cost equipment solutions for children with spina bifida in collaboration with the Spina Bifida Center of Central New York and spina bifida clinics in Equador and Peru

Jodi Dowthwaite, PhD: The Dowthwaite Lab aims to optimize adult health by studying how diet, exercise and genetic factors affect development of muscle, bone and fat mass during childhood and adolescence.

John Drake, PhD: Quantifying the ability of trees and forests to cope with climate warming, primarily utilizing photosynthetic and respiratory measurements of leaves

William Kerr, PhD: Dr. Kerr's lab studies the role of the LRBA and SHIP1 genes in signal transduction. Current studies involve delineating the role that these genes play in immunity, cancer cell survival, inflammatory bowel disease or obesity.

Christopher Neville, PT, PhD: Biomechanics of human movement as it relates to balance and lower extremity function with application to Concussion Injuries.

Lee A. Newman, PhD:Using Therapeutic Horticulture to improve patient outcomes; Hyperspectral imaging of plants to locate contaminants in the environment; Nanoparticle toxicity in plants; Production of Phyto pharmaceuticals; Plant/microbe activity for enhanced growth and pest resistance; Use of treatment wetlands to mitigate emerging contaminants; Use of living walls to treat food industry wastewater; Identification of plant genes and pathways for degradation of environmental contaminants.

Erin E Wentz, PT, PhD, PCS: Infant interventions that promote optimal development, both in babies with typical development and in babies with special health care needs. Her current study is a randomized control trials looking to inform tummy time recommendations for infants with typical development.